Kill me Once, Kill me Twice
by Duchess of Darkness
Summary: [Ch1 UP!] YamixMarik Marik was once pure, but evil ruled his heart. Yami will follow him forever...just to see him fall. He will be by Marik to protect him...and kill him. BETTER THAN "Controlling Me"! IMPROVED VERSION OF CM! (Slightly AU.)
1. Come, Pharaoh

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1AN: hello everyone! For those who read Controlling Me, well…. This is a better, and not-discontinued, version of it. Title's different, I know, but heck, I think it suits well. ^^ Pairing is for Marik and Yami. ^^ Aren't they funny together? I think so! Oh yes… AU-ish. I can't really explain how, but you'll get it soon enough.

Rating: PG13 for shounenai-ness, cursing, and….well, whatever I put in here that's over PG rating. Especially for the couple actions I have. ^^ It's so easy to figure them out just by watching only a few episodes with most of the characters in 'em. Eheh. 

Disclaimer: I don't YGO characters, nor the cards, the game, etc. Sorry to say, I'm not too wild about it, especially since I haven't seen much of it. There's not much to cheer about something you don't see. Soooo…. All credit goes to the dudes who DID make all that stuff with YGO. ^^ Not me!

Warning: thus because I do not know much about YGO, forgive me if I spell someone's Jap version name wrong. As far as I know, Ryou is the only one. As for Joey and all them, ''' I DON'T KNOW! SOMEONE HELP ME FIX THIS PROBLEM!

~Kill Me Once, Kill Me Twice~ 

Chapter Prologue: Come, Pharaoh

Dark eyes narrowed. With himself cornered, back pressed against the wall, he did not like his situation. Anger, sadness, and yet… confusion coursed through him, filling most of his thoughts. How had this happened? What had gone wrong? Why was _he_ acting like this? No. This was not supposed to happen! Nonono!

"What's wrong, Yami? Afraid to answer me?"

Yami's narrowed eyes slid into dangerous slits, a deep scowl set upon his lips. "No, I am not afraid to answer you, Marik."

"Then…?" the blonde drawled, lifting a brow. 

Yami closed his eyes for a long moment, inhaling deeply before sighing, the simple gesture revealing much of what was on his mind. "Fine… I will surrender." Yami opened his eyes, staring sadly at the ground before his feet.

A strong hand cupped his chin, forcing those maroon eyes to look up. "You made a wise choice, my Pharaoh. I am glad you finally came to the right decision after all this time of useless persuasion. You could've saved your friends-_and aibou-the pain and suffering. But I'm glad that you finally have come to your senses and have surrendered to me."_

Yami stared into the set of cold eyes that used to be full of light and emotion. Before he could help it, he bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes again, tears sliding down his cheeks. Only when gentle fingers came to wipe them away did he open his eyes once more and stare into the face of his captor.

Eyes still cold as ice stared back at him, his hands cupping the other's face gently, wiping away the tears as they came to tarnish the look of the shorter. "Do not plague me, Yami. Just do as I say, and no harm will came to you anymore." He spoke with soft words, nearly gentle to the Pharaoh's ears. "No harm at all…" he repeated.

Yami, finding no other solution to this wretched problem, nodded and closed his eyes yet again. Marik let him go, only to let him slide the Millennium Puzzle from his neck and place the chain on his. "Here you are, Marik. With this Puzzle I place my love and life. I will follow you to the ends of the Earth and all through time. I will save you from this madness and protect you with my life."

Marik smirked. "How sweet. Though I am not in a state of madness, I still find this amusing and very touching, Yami. And thank you for the gift that I so deserve." 

Yami looked up at that familiar, yet not familiar, face and smiled sadly. "Of course."

"Come then." The command was short, and without waiting for a reply, Marik turned around and walked off.

Yami followed as if it was his eternal duty-which was soon to be true. He would follow Marik as he did right now, in his wake, following him in his madness only to protect him from himself and what he might do. Never… _never had he expected this to happen. How? How did this all start? He didn't know. With a shake of his head to clear his thoughts, Yami took one last glance about him before disappearing after Marik._

~*~

Ishizu sighed as she made her way to the very place Marik and Yami left. Guards flanked her, dressed in black and as silent as night. She appreciated this silence, but also dreaded it for it gave her too much space to think. She had no distractions to keep her from visualizing the horrid thoughts that played in her mind. She tried to look in front of her and keep her thoughts on her steps, but every once in a while they strayed back to her brother and the Pharaoh. She was worried for them… she did not know what was to become of her brother, nor of the Pharaoh. Though family was usually a first priority for most people, she was more concerned about dear Yami and what peril he was facing. 

_'Oh, my dear Pharoah… I hope you are safe.' With a sigh, she kept on forward. Forward until she came upon the scene. With a gasp, she ran to where Yugi and some of his friends lay. She recognized one with near-white hair being Ryou, the boy in his milder form. _'Oh my… Even Bakura has been cast away to lay dormant inside Ryou to recover from who knows what damage! I hope the boy will be okay. But as for Yugi…'_ Ishizu paused and knelt before the boy who's eyes were usually open and wide, joy dancing in those maroon eyes that so much resembled the Pharaoh's narrowed ones. Now, the boy laid motionless, eyes closed-but she would not doubt it if his eyes were blank if they were opened-and mouth slightly open. The Puzzle that usually adorned the boy's neck was gone and that had only meant that the Pharaoh was indeed separate from his aibou and he was now following Marik, and that Yugi's spirit was (technically) split in half. _

Ishizu frowned as she lifted the boy, his body light in her arms. She quickly ordered her guards to pick up the rest of those on the ground, a specific guard to pick up Ryou and follow her, and carried Yugi to her transportation to head back to the museum. And it was at the museum that a hidden room was used to host two certain boys who would serve a great deal in this problem. 

Once in the safety of room, Ishizu cleared her throat and her guards left her in peace. She locked the door and sat in a chair by her desk. This room she used to serve as a spare sleeping quarters for herself while she was here in Domino. She watched the sleeping forms of Yugi and Ryou, her eyes landing last on Ryou.

"Bakura… Will you awaken please?"

A glow was emitted from Ryou's Pendant, the light enveloping the boy, in his place being Ryou, only this person has hair wilder and longer hair than Ryou, eyes narrow and piercing, a contrast to that of the boy's usual soft and kind-filled eyes. Slowly, this person sat up, effort etched in the very lines of his body.

"Bakura," Ishizu called, her voice soft but still defined in the air.

The male with his narrow eyes turned to the black-haired woman in her white and gold attire, a cloth over her head and a white dress upon her body, gold in her hair and around her neck and forehead. "What do you want, Ishizu?" came his harsh voice, low and rather raspy. 

Ishizu smiled slightly. "Where is the Pharaoh?"

Bakura grunted. "Straight to the point, are you? But then again, why should I have to answer you? Your Millennium Necklace should already have told you the future."

The woman paused. "So it's true?"

"That matters. What do you think has happened?"

"The Pharaoh has become saddened as follows my brother to his death. Yugi is broken from the inside out, and Yami is nowhere to be found."

Bakura grunted again, but this from effort of positioning himself in a sitting position, his back against the wall. "Yes. The Pharaoh was foolish. He let Marik get the better of him. Tch. To think that the Pharaoh let himself grow weak, especially love the very person who leads him to his doom. I do not pity him."

Ishizu bowed her head. "He cares for my brother, and yes, that is his downfall, but I think that it will be his love for him that rights Marik's wrong."

Bakura scoffed. "But a fantasy. A mere hope."

"But I believe that it will be my hope that helps Yami in his struggle. We do not know of where he is, and it is no doubt that he is with my brother. I fear that Yami will work himself to death just to get Marik back."

"And you fear that it will be in vain, am I right?" 

The woman nodded. "Yes. If not in vain, very will close to it. The Pharaoh has a soft heart and I feat that it will soon break. Love can be a tragic thing, Bakura… even if it is a great strength."

"Then was use was it to even _have_ such a feeling as love if it is so destructive? Love is utterly useless."

Ishizu glared at him. "So says you when you yourself have loved the Pharaoh-even if only to some extent. Your 'vessel' liked him and Yugi. They grew to be very well friends. As much as you may hate to admit it, he affects you as well. Do not place your blame on him because you are rejected. Love is powerful, Bakura. You know that."

Bakura snorted and turned his head to the side, still keeping eye contact with Ishizu. "Feelings. . . love. . . useless! Look where it got him!"

"So says you when you have a love before you," the woman repeated. 

Bakura flushed, both with anger and embarrassment. "I do not love anyone!"

The woman before him shook her head and sighed, her anger dying quickly as sadness took over. "Fine then. If you will not admit your own feelings, then at least admit that you saw the connection between Marik and Yami. There was indeed love between them, when my brother was still pure, and that should be obvious."

Bakura, though much to his dislike, nodded, dropping his gaze to the other figure in the room. "Yes, I remember. . . "

~*~*~*~

AN: yay! The prologue has been finished! Yippee! Don't you just feel the darkness in the air? (*in the background Zax is screwing in a black-light light bulb*) ^^;; Heh… Anyway, I hope everyone liked the prologue (though it is terribly short…)! Yes, Bakura had a thing for an oh-so-certain person. But anyway, yeah, the next chapter will continue a bit with the conversation before going to the start of the event, thus making most of this story a flashback. But don't worry, the story will continue on with the conversation again and to what happens to Yami and Marik after the MAJOR flashback. So, don't worry, I started the story in this place on purpose. ^^ I hope you like it though! 

Please review and tell me what you think! Game over? (Excuse pun) Or continue?? I need your opinion! It determines whether or not this story will come out really good or not! ^^ All kinds of reviews greatly appreciated!

~Duchess


	2. Remember When?

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1AN: hello again! Thank you for reviewing! I really appreciate your comments! ^^ Reviews keep me going, but I hope to get more this time!

Rating: PG13 (you know why)

Disclaimer: I don't YGO characters, nor the cards, the game, etc. All credit to the dudes who DID make all that stuff with YGO. ^^ Not me!

PROBLEM: Okay. I noticed that in some of my stories there were dots in unusual places, like before a question mark and stuff. But you see, I wanted to explain that really, all those placed where there are dots that shouldn't be there are placed where there should be THREE dots. You know, that pause thing. But since that doesn't seem to show up on FF.net, well, heck! I just thought I'd share with you what the meaning of it is. (As I'm sure that all are wondering if I have constant typos. And it's probably happening here too.) And also, what color are Ma(r/l)ik's eyes? I swear I forgot what color they are. Are they ash-purple? And is Joey's name in Japanese "Jounochi," Tristen's "Honda", Tea's "Anzu"?

~Kill Me Once, Kill Me Twice~ 

Chapter One: Remember When…?

"It was raining… wasn't it? All went so well for little Yugi when he got that visit from Malik."

Bakura nodded. "Yes, especially for Yami since, not only did he have someone who knew of his past, he had someone who liked him. He had someone—besides his aibou—who was kind to him and treated him as a friend. Tch. What a sap."

Ishizu ignored Bakura's last comment and folded her hands in her lap, turning her gaze toward the comatose boy with his black spiked hair with maroon tips and blonde bangs. If only those eyes would open… "It's sad that this came true… I almost wish that my Necklace was wrong and full of flaws."

"Don't we all… But remember when it first started out? Remember when…?" Bakura trailed off, finding himself staring at the sleeping boy as well. 

Ishizu nodded. Yes, she remembered. She did not have to be told of what the male was talking about to know that he was speaking of the very beginning. The beginning when Marik first met Yugi… and Yami.

~*~ *~

_[Several Months before…]_

Pitter… Patter… 

Yugi looked up from his cards. Outside the shop he saw and heard rain beating against the windows and door. It was pouring that day, and it was best to stay inside. Shaking his head, he returned to assembling his card deck, finding nothing more interesting to do.

It was only when a deep voice called him did he look up again. "Yugi?"

"Yes, Yami?"

"What are you doing that for? This is the fourteenth time you've shuffled through the deck and rearranged it, each time different than the last."

"Well, I'm trying to see how many times I can rearrange it until I find something better to do." A pair of wide, innocent maroon eyes looked up from the deck, settling on his counterpart.

Yami smiled at the boy. "You truly_ are _bored, aren't you?" The smile returned to him was his answer. "But do you not have a book to read? Or something you may want to watch on your... 'television'?" 

Yugi laughed, finally putting down his deck. "Yes, 'television.' But no, there wouldn't be anything on right now. Especially with the heavy rain, the signal for anything would be bad. As for books, you know I don't read much, Yami."

Yami shook his head. "If you say so, aibou. But I still suggest you entertain yourself another way. Something more productive, perhaps?"

The boy with his wide eyes smiled, shaking his head. "That's okay. Talking to you is distraction enough. So, tell me, has your magic become strong enough that you can resume a form? Is it solid? Or fuzzy? I can't see through you, so are you like a hologram?"

"A 'hologram'? What's that?"

"It's like a real thing, only you can pass your hand through it. You know, like Kaiba's simulator. Real, yet not."

Yami nodded, remembering Kaiba's dueling arena. He felt sorry for the troubling male, for he was obsessed in being the best. "I remember. But no, I do not think I am a 'hologram' as you say." He paused to hold up his hand to Yugi. "I do not think your fingers will go through."

Yami's aibou lifted his own hand. Carefully, he poked the palm outstretched before him. It did not pass through. "You're right! That's great Yami! You can hold your form without using my body!"

The taller nodded. "Yes, it will be more convenient for the both of us. My magic has grown since last, and I am glad. But unfortunately, I am not strong enough to hold this for very long."

"Oh, that's okay, I'm just glad you can—" He paused as the door to the shop opened, a shadowed figure just in the doorway. "May I help you?" he asked the stranger.

The one in the doorway did not answer, not even shake his head, simply standing there, letting himself get soaking wet in the rain. Yami frowned as he turned to meet this stranger. There was something odd about this person, but it was something he could not place. Even though, he admit he could not let them stay in the rain.

"Why don't you come in? You'll only catch your cold in the rain," he said, his deep voice clear and no doubt reaching the other's ears.

The other nodded, finally, stepping forth. But when they did, their body seemed to refuse to correspond with the brain, causing them to keel forward. Yami, being the closer of the two watchers, ran forward and caught them before they hit the floor, dragging them inside and away from the door, letting Yugi close it for him. He laid the fallen person in front of the cashier desk, propping them up against it while taking in what restricted features they showed. Apparently, they were dressed in simple dark jeans and jacket, sneakers to complete the casual look. The hood of the jacket was pulled over their face, and when Yami removed it, it slid past the river of pale blonde hair that spilled from his head. It was obvious that this person was male just by looking at him. And Yami had to admit, this person had surprisingly feminine features. His hair was just over shoulder length, ending in slight spikes. Judging by the fitting of the clothes, he could guess this person was lean and his body was based on muscle. As far as Yami could tell, this boy had similar build to himself, the only difference being height and hair. As for the eyes, Yami couldn't tell for they remained closed. 

Yugi came up to the other side of the boy, facing Yami. "Is he alright?"

Yami slid his hand beneath the mess of hair and checked for a pulse at the neck. "I think he'll be fine. Though we are not sure of what happened, I'm certain that it is nothing severe. This boy probably was trying to find shelter and happened to come upon the shop."

"So then he'll come to, right? He's only unconscious because of exhaustion, right?"

Yami looked up from staring at the stranger's face, meeting Yugi's worried eyes. He couldn't help but smile and pat the other's shoulder. Yugi was always concerned for others' well being, Yami knew, and to see him alarmed about a stranger's health was not a surprise. "No not worry, aibou, I am sure that he will be fine. In the meantime, see if you can locate a towel and possibly a set of clothes. It would be best is we keep him dry and warm before he really does get sick."

Yugi nodded and got up, disappearing up the stairs behind the counter to see what he could find. Yami smiled after Yugi's retreating form and turned back to study this stranger, only to find a pair of eyes staring right back at him. 

Yami lifted a brow. "Are you awake now?"

"I was never asleep," was a soft reply, the voice slightly scratchy. 

Yami nodded and retreated his hand, aware that it was still by the boy's neck. "Ah. Well, I am glad you are fine, but could you tell me why you happened to have collapsed but a moment ago?"

The other shook his head. "That's alright. I'd rather not say."

Yami nodded and sat back on his heels, giving the other space to move and sit up properly. "If you wish." He turned away to stare out the shop where rain continued to pour from the skies. Unlike many he knew, rain was a wonderful thing. He loved the rain. Rain, in Egypt was the best thing that could ever happen. When he was little, he used to dance in the rain when it flooded the back and near the lake where the women bathe. He'd twirl and twirl, soaking his heated skin until it was like he drowned. His mother would always catch him by the waters, getting stupidly wet, and bring him in to the dry to clean him for the wet. 

A small smile formed on Yami's lips as he remembered those times. Of course, as he grew and so did his responsibilities, he did not play in the rain. Instead, he stayed indoors like his mother always wanted him, learning from stones about his family history and how things went in the family. Royalty went for generations, but it all stopped with him. He had not married, nor bedded with women for heirs, so he was the last of his generation. Thus is why the tomb keepers were necessary and each person among that lineage was meant to guard his resting place and await his return from the dead. But he did not return from the dead as they hoped. Instead, he was a spirit trapped in the Millennium Puzzle, using a boy from the modern Japanese world to help him recover his power and harness it once again. 

Though it seemed like he was using the boy, he didn't think of so. His aibou was precious to him, almost like family. Technically, the innocent _was_ family, since he was the other half of him. But… 

"Yami?"

Yami jerked as the familiar voice of his aibou pulled him out of his thoughts. "Yes, aibou?"

"I can't find anything dry for him to wear! I retrieved the towel, though."

"The towel will do fine. Bring it here and I will look instead." Slowly, he got up, giving a quick glance to the blonde before disappearing behind the counter and switching places with Yugi who came back with a towel in his hand. 

When Yugi gave the towel to the blonde, the other couldn't help but stare a bit. Yugi noticed this immediately. "Yes?"

The blonde shook his head. "Are you and… 'Yami' twins?"

Yugi laughed inwardly. "One… _could_ say that." It was true, Yami looked like him—or rather, _Yugi_ looked like _Yami_. If one didn't know about Yami being the Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt—the Black Lands—they would consider the two being twins, if ever spotted together. Yugi smiled at the other as they lifted a brow at his unusual answer. "Don't worry about it." The blonde shrugged. "But… hey, what's your name?"

The blonde blinked. "My name?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah!"

"… Malik."

Yugi smiled as he heard this. It was a nice name, almost as if it was created just for him and no one else could have a name such as "Malik". "That's a nice name."

The blonde—Malik—fidgeted. "Um… thank you." He looked away as he ran the towel over his hair, obviously uncomfortable.

Yugi had a sense for things like this and immediately became aware of Malik's uneasiness and backed off, getting up and moving back around the counter to his stool he had previously been sitting on, shuffling his deck again. It was after some time, but when a hand slightly larger than his came down upon his own as they held the card deck, he looked up to see Yami stopping him again, a slight smile on his face.

"Put it down, aibou." Then, going around the counter to Malik, he continued, "Here. Since it is best that you stay in a dry area for a while, you may borrow these until your clothes dry and the rain lightens up.

Malik nodded and got up, draping the towel over his shoulders before taking the set of clothes from Yami. "Thank you," he said, his voice still soft.

Yami nodded and showed him to a room where he could change, going back to Yugi who was yet again fiddling with his deck. Yami couldn't help but sigh, snatching the deck from the boy and pocketing it. "Do not drain your mind, Yugi."

Yugi grinned sheepishly, nodded. "Gomen ne. But, Yami, when do you think this rain will lighten up?"

The Spirit shook his head. "I do not know, but I understand your concern. Do not worry."

"Oh, I won't. But, it _is_ rather strange having Malik here, offering him hospitality and such. But then again, we can't exactly shove him back in the cold weather, now can we?"

"Of course not. But you shouldn't concern yourself of your safety. If anything, if something is suspicious of him, I will protect you with all my might."

Yugi looked up at the Spirit, seeing the seriousness he held in his eyes, as well as the sense of security. He smiled up at his darker half and nodded.  "Arigatou, Yami."

"Not at all."

Yugi kept on smiling at his other half, as the other did the same, both waiting for some sign of Malik. Speaking of which…

Malik tugged at the sleeve of his borrowed button-up shirt. The clothes he had been given were slightly small, the legs of the pants he was given just reaching his ankle. He assumed that these clothes belonged to Yami, the 'twin' of the smaller boy. He looked at himself in the mirror. There before him, was his reflection. He wore an entire attire of black, both pieces of clothing soft and light, rather silky as well. He could nearly see through the long-sleeved shirt, almost to the fact that he could make out the markings on his back. He was grateful that it wasn't really noticeable, for it would raise questions among the other two in the shop. Glancing down at his pants, he saw that they were made of cotton, the kind of material that was to be hand washed. Tugging on one of the legs, Malik found that it could stretch a bit, proving to have spandex in the fabric, the reason why the pants were special. 

"Huh…" The blonde turned around, examining the back. The marking on his back seemed to blend with the black of the shirt, but he was more concerned in how the clothes seemed to want to express his form. He was starting to like the dark attire, but it just seemed to say: "Look at me!" with the way it was accenting his build. 

Again, Malik tugged on one of the sleeves he had rolled up. For some reason, he was nervous. Maybe it was because of the taller, somewhat intimidating twin, but he wasn't sure. Sighing, Malik shook his head, running a hand through his pale-blonde tresses. He closed his eyes for a long moment, and when he opened them again, he stared at himself in the mirror. To his surprise, another figure was reflected in the mirror as well. He turned around to find Yami leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, his manner casual and expression almost pensive. 

It took Yami a second to pull out of his thoughts and stand up straight, smiling slightly. "I hope that they aren't too short or tight. They were all I could find at the moment."

"It's fine." 

Yami nodded. "You can just hang your clothes to dry. As of now, you are welcome to join us in the shop for the remainder of the storm. But please, if you do not come, do not wander the shop, nor take or touch anything outside the room. And know that I'll know if you do."  The sentence would seem like a threat, but it was more of a warning. Yami did not want trouble in Yugi's shop, and to find out that a stranger would have to stay here, in Yugi's half-shop-half-home, would be upsetting to find something had gone wrong, or something was stolen.

So, rather hesitantly, Yami left the blonde's borrowed room, making his way back to the shop where Yugi was. "Aibou."

The shorter looked up, smiling. "Yes?"

"Why don't you eat? Isn't it that time for you to already?"

Yugi nodded. "I guess. Thanks for reminding me, Yami. I forgot all about my stomach until you mentioned food. Ah, I'm famished! I'll see if I can find something! Wait here!" With as much energy he had, he jumped off the stool and rushed past the Spirit to the kitchen.

Yami smiled and sat on the stool in his place, pulling out the innocent's deck and placing it on the table. He pulled the first card from the deck and turned it over to see the picture. There before him was the Dark Magician. It was his and Yugi's favorite card. Smiling, he pulled yet another card. This one was almost the same as the Dark Magician, except that the figure on the card was a female. This card, he knew, was the Dark Magician Girl, faithful to the Dark Magician, and powerful in magic-based attacks. Though he wasn't much of a romance person, Yami thought the cards belonged as a pair. 

Yami's smile even more as he put the cards back on the top of the deck and left the pile alone. It wasn't long in the quiet that Yugi came back, a phone in his hand. "I just realized that as soon as I picked this phone up, whoever I called to order from would not be able to deliver their food." Yugi laughed at his own mistake, shaking his head and setting the phone down on the counter. "So instead, we'll have to think of something to cook. Any ideas?"

Yami shook his head. "I wouldn't know since I don't especially eat, Aibou. So whatever you would like to eat would be fine."

Yugi nodded at his darker half. "Yeah, but what about Mr. Mysterious Blonde in back there?" he asked, gesturing in the direction of the room Malik was in. 

Yami shook his head. "I do not know if he would be hungry. But if you would like, I can ask him what he would appreciate while you look around."

"Sure!" the Pharaoh's aibou chirped, again disappearing into the kitchen, leaving Yami to go back to the blonde. 

Malik ran a hand through his hair, sighing a bit. He had hanged his clothes up to dry and he had nothing else to do. The only thing he could think of was the darker 'twin'. _'My Gods… if I wasn't sure I wasn't seeing double! I did not know that the glyphs and sculptures were so accurate! I cannot believe that I was so dumbstruck that I was frozen on the spot…'_ He stopped his thoughts as something interrupted them. In fact, it was his stomach. Looking down, he put a hand over his stomach as it grumbled and cried for food.

"I see that hunger makes itself notice with its cries."

Malik turned around sharply upon hearing the deep voice. "W-What?" he managed to stutter.

Yami shook his head, stepping through the doorway. "I'm sorry to have startle you, but Yugi plans to serve a meal and he was curious as to what you were interested in."

Malik blinked. _'He certainly does not act like a Pharaoh should… He acts more like a normal person of the modern Japanese world.'_ He hesitated, but stepped toward the shorter male. "Well, since I do not know what you have, maybe I can take a look myself?"

Yami backed away from the doorway, nodding. "Go right ahead. Down the hall to your left."

The blonde nodded in return and followed the other's directions, feeling his eyes on his back as he walked, no doubt following him. He quickly made his way to the kitchen to find the more lively 'brother' puttering around the room, opening cabinets and the fridge, pulling out all that he could get his hands on. When a bottle slipped from the shorter boy's hand, Malik caught it deftly and handed it back, looking about in curiosity. "This is a rather interesting home you have… A game shop and home in one?"

Yugi smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Yes, my grandfather and I own this small game shop. Really, it's only us to run the place, so it's not much."

Malik nodded, looking around still. His eyes eventually landed on Yami who was opening the fridge and pulling out a small bottle, handing it to Yugi. "Here," he heard the taller say, "this should help, Yugi." Yugi nodded and graciously took the bottle, setting it beside him on the counter. Malik stared at the interaction between the two, interested even more than he was several minutes ago. When he saw Yami touch his temple and rub it, though, concern held a place in his mind.

"I think I will need to rest now. I'll be back later. Be careful, okay Yugi?" Yami said, still rubbing his temple as he walked out of the kitchen to disappear into the Puzzle without notice of the blonde.

Yugi looked over his shoulder and nodded, smiling. "All right, Yami," came the cheerful response as he felt the Spirit enter his Mind's room again. He turned to Malik who stared at him. "So, did you tell Yami what you wanted or shall we just guess?"

~*~

_[Some Hours Later…]_

Ash-purple eyes turned to the window. Night had come and he was allowed to stay over night due to the (still) harsh weather. His door was wide open, and he knew that somewhere down that hall was a Pharaoh who guarded his aibou's door and property. The door was open by Yami's orders, all because he was being cautious in his presence. Malik did not know that the Pharaoh would be so protective of his aibou, but then again, the Pharaoh was always protective of his subjects and people, even when messing with the Dark Magic and the Shadow Realm. 

Sighing, Malik sat up, the bed he laid on creaking the tiniest bit under his shifted weight. He couldn't help but stay awake, his jumbled thoughts the cause of his restlessness. Only when a shadow passed by his open doorway did his thoughts come to a hault. _'Who…?'_ But then he stopped, recognizing the shadow of the hair as it was cast upon the hall. _'But why would he be up…?'_  Quietly, Malik slipped out of bed and followed the seemed sleepless male. 

Yami sighed before he drank an entire glass full of water in a single shot. He seemed almost bored, but he had much on his mind. Looking out the window in the kitchen, he gazed upon the blank face of the moon. Somehow, he thought of Egypt and his longing to be there again. He did not know what started him on thinking of his homeland again, but he did know _when_ he started thinking of it. It was when that blonde entered and he had first set his eyes on his features. For some reason, the markings around his eyes seemed to state that he was Egyptian, though Yami had no confirmation of it. 

Sighing once more, Yami washed his glass and put it away. He took in the sight of the moon again before turning to go back to the front near the cashier register. But just as he turned, he stopped when he spotted another shadow amongst the night. Put slightly on alarm, Yami paused in his step. "Who's there?"

Malik came out of his hiding, smiling sheepishly for being caught. "Just me. I'm sorry I made you nervous, I only came out because I could not sleep."

Yami relaxed, though not visibly. "Having a hard time? It's understandable, considering that we are all strangers to each other. But I assure you that Yugi and I mean you no harm, as I'm certain you don't to us."

Malik shook his head. "Oh, no, not when you've given me shelter and food. You have shown me hospitality and I should return the kindness."

Yami nodded. "If you feel it is your need to, I do not object. But you should go to sleep or will not be able to get up tomorrow."

"What about you? Don't you sleep?"

Yami mentally laughed. "Yes, I do. I am merely up for a drink and am heading back. You should to the same too."

Malik nodded and went back to his room, Yami behind him. He had no choice but to try and go to sleep since the shorter knew he was up. So, upon crawling into bed, Malik sighed and closed his eyes.

~*~*~*~

AN: woo-hoo! Yes! First chapter done! Malik meets Yami and Yugi during a storm! ^^ Yay! But anyway, I have realized by now that if Japanese, the "l" in names and words are rolled a bit, making them sound like "r"s to us in English. So, I have come to a conclusion that Marik is actually Malik, but since it is sometimes that "Malik" is used for the innocence of his character, I will as well. So, when Malik becomes darker and evil, he will (most likely) be referred to as "Marik". Does that make sense? I hope so since I'm a dork at these YGO names…

But anywho, please review for me! I'd like to know what you think of things now! Is Yami starying on Ooc-ness? Or is he fine? Is Malik alright to y'all? Or what? Please review and tell me! ^^ As before, they keep this thing going!


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